Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long will my Fellowship experience last?A: That depends on the nature of your planned experience
itself, and the start and ending dates that you have tentatively set
in your experience proposal.

Q: Will I be required to complete my experience over the summer?A: No. However, we understand that many students will
choose this option so as not to delay their education. Students are
required to complete their experience within one calendar year of
receiving their Fellowship.

Q: Does my experience need to be related to my major or field of study?A: Not at all. While this is certainly an option, your
Fellowship experience should be designed to realize a passionate
interest or dream of yours that will contribute broadly to your
education and your development as a person, and need not be expressly
related to research, etc.

Q: Does my experience need to be related to service and/or volunteerism?A: No. The Givens Fellowship encourages students to
design experiences that truly speak to their passions and interests.
Service and/or volunteerism may certainly be a part of your experience
if you so choose, but it is not a requirement, and no preference
whatsoever is given to candidates whose proposals focus on service
and/or volunteerism.

Q: Must my experience include travel overseas?A: No. However, that is certainly an available option.

Q: Should I contact the groups and/or individuals that would be
integral to my experience before I apply?A: While it is not required, background research on your
experience, and initial contact with those groups and/or individuals
who would be important in fulfilling it, is certainly encouraged.

Q: Who are the members of the Stuart R. Givens Memorial Fellowship
Advisory Committee?A: The members of the Advisory Committee, and their
contact information, may be found on the Givens Fellowship homepage.

Q: How many awards will be given each year?A: Up to two awards of up to $6,000 will be given
annually, depending on each year’s field of applicants.

Q: Can I additionally fund my experience with my own money?A: Yes. Personal funds, including grant money obtained
from other sources, may be applied to the cost of your experience in
addition to the up to $6,000 awarded by the Givens Fellowship.

Q: Is the Fellowship only available to Arts and Sciences students?A: No. While the Fellowship is administered by the
College of Arts and Sciences, students from any college and in any
major may apply, and no preference whatsoever is given to Arts and
Sciences applicants.

Q:Why isn’t the Givens Fellowship open to graduate students?A: The private donors who established this fellowship
wished to create a unique experience for undergraduate students.

Q: When will the Fellowship funds be distributed to students?A: While no formal date is set for the distribution of
funds, the Fellowship funds will be provided to each year’s winners as
soon as possible after the Fellowship is awarded in order to allow the
recipients to begin the preparations for their experiences.

Q: If a student is planning on working with a particular individual
as a part of their experience, is it appropriate to budget an
honorarium, or other payment, for that individual from the $6,000 grant?A: Yes; however, the Givens Fellowship Advisory
Committee will assess whether this is a necessary part of the budget,
and the stipend itself should be only a small component of the budget
overall. Additionally, stipends, etc., may only be offered to
individuals external to BGSU.

Q: Will there be a notification process put in place so that
students will be assured that their application has been received?A: Yes. Students will be contacted after their completed
application packets have been received.

Q: Should an applicant wish to prove their
passion/interest/background, etc., regarding their experience, or be
more detailed in explaining its planning, is it permissible to
include “attachments” with their application, in addition to their
1,000-word statement and other documents expressly required by the Fellowship?A: No. Applicants should be able to convey the project
itself, and their evidence of commitment to it, within the confines of
the materials required by the Fellowship. Any attachments, etc.,
submitted in excess of the required materials will not be reviewed or
considered by the Fellowship Advisory Committee. (Note: The
applicants’ passion and commitment will also be assessed in oral
interviews, should they be chosen as finalists.)

Q: May freshmen apply for the Givens Fellowship?A: No. Students cannot apply for the Givens Fellowship
until they have completed two semesters at BGSU.

Q: May seniors apply for the Givens Fellowship?A: Ordinarily not, as Givens Fellows are expected to
return to BGSU for two semesters after their experience takes place,
and this disqualifies most students with senior standing. However,
mitigating circumstances may be taken into consideration. Seniors may
wish to contact the Fellowship to determine if they qualify as applicants.

Q: Can students submit joint applications, in which more than one
student applies to take part in the same experience and split one
award of up to $6,000?A: Joint applications will be considered; however,
applicants must demonstrate that this would contribute to their
overall goal of pursuing a passionate interest in a way that will
enable personal and intellectual growth. Furthermore, the applicants
will have to demonstrate to the committee that their proposal is
meritorious and feasible.

Q: Would applicants be able/allowed to look at previous
applications for insight into how such Fellowship applications are
constructed, etc.?A: Successful Givens Fellowship applications are
available on the Fellowship Web site for students to view. However, it
should be emphasized that this Fellowship rewards the applicant's
own individual passion, imagination and creativity.

Q: Could Fellowship money be used to fund certain programs or
supplies (including, for example, books and computers for a needy school)?A: The Fellowship experience budget must support a
compelling project that fits the guidelines. In that spirit,
applicants may include any items in their budget that they feel would
be appropriate for their particular project.

Q: If a student budgets their experience at a certain amount but
later discovers that they will require additional funds, will these
funds be made available?A: No. While Fellowship recipients will receive
assistance in refining their budgets, once a budget is finalized the
monetary amount indicated in the budget will be the amount allotted to
the student, and no additional money will be provided through the
Fellowship. In applying, students are to exhibit creativity,
resourcefulness, and imagination, and as such these qualities should
enable them to complete their experience within the budget requested/allocated.

Q: Could students complete college credit or an internship/co-op,
etc., while engaged in their Fellowship experience?A: No. Students are to focus on an experience that is
not for academic credit or fulfillment of other programs’ requirements.

Q: Will all applicants be interviewed?A: Applicants whom the Fellowship Advisory Committee
feels have submitted the most compelling proposals will be selected
for interviews as finalists for the award.

Q: If I am overseas or otherwise away from BGSU and am chosen for
an interview during this time, will this affect my eligibility for
the Fellowship?A: Not at all. However, if you expect to be away from
the University during the period that interviews may be conducted
(approximately January-February), please make this fact known to the
Advisory Committee as soon as possible, and inform them as to how you
may be contacted (by email, telephone, cellular phone, and any other
available communications media, if applicable). If necessary, the
Advisory Committee will be happy to conduct a long-distance interview.

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